The next day, after defeating Thanatos and bringing temporary peace to the town of Solpreza, we connected the Tree-made Multi-functional Beast Carriage to the airship and headed towards the Solpreza Mountain Range.
Raus and the others, along with Eos and Lucas, are accompanying us this time, but honestly, I wish we could have brought some other Ancient Classes as well.
The place where an unknown Demise Species is believed to be is at the Treasure Tree in the Solpreza Mountain Range, but it’s not guaranteed to be there.
However, it’s definitely a colossal creature, so we judged that the chance of being ambushed was low.
Nevertheless, it’s still dangerous, so we decided that upon spotting the Treasure Tree, we would disembark from the airship and proceed on foot.
We reached a point where the Treasure Tree was visible in just a few tens of minutes, and I intended to land immediately. Unfortunately, there was no space suitable for landing. So, after descending as close as possible, we used Flying and Scaff to disembark. The Multi-functional Beast Carriage remained connected to the airship and was stored in the Inventory.
Then, as I turned my gaze back to the Treasure Tree, I saw a colossal crimson body, distinct from the Treasure Tree.
Is that it?
“It’s hard to tell from this distance, but it looks like a Dragoon Demise Species, no mistake.”
“Yes. And the color of those scales, it’s fire attribute. That’s the worst.”
“That’s right. If we fight incorrectly, the Treasure Tree might get burned down.”
Indeed.
Red scales mean the colossal body lying next to the Treasure Tree is undoubtedly a fire-attribute Dragoon Demise Species. This is an O-A-rank Monster, a higher-ranked existence than the Blood Ruby Dragons and Burning Dragons from Abysia that we defeated before, and on the same level as Nidh that Father defeated.
Father instantly killed Nidh, so its strength is unknown. However, Dragoons are the strongest species in the Helios Orb, and Nidh was an individual that had lived for nearly a hundred years, so it’s certain that it was the strongest monster in the Helios Orb. Even we, who have defeated Demise Species several times, felt considerable fear when facing Nidh.
That red Dragoon might not be as strong as Nidh since it’s likely just evolved, but it’s undoubtedly a Dragoon Demise Species. Therefore, ideally, we should defeat it quickly using the divine artifact Clau Solas or Agatholam’s myth-class spell. However, we also need to understand its actual strength to know what kind of damage others who might face a Dragoon Demise Species in the future would sustain if not us.
Thus, fully aware of the danger, we’ve decided to engage it directly at first. Of course, if it looks too dangerous, we’ll immediately use Clau Solas’s myth-class spell Maha Jarg.
“At this distance, Queting is impossible, isn’t it?”
“The distance is kilometers. It’s impossible unless we get closer.”
“Even if we get closer, at this distance, it will definitely notice us. And since we don’t know the status of the monsters, we don’t know how long it will take.”
“Most of them have likely fled from the Treasure Tree, so let’s assume we’ll encounter quite a few before reaching the Treasure Tree.”
“Agreed.”
There’s no point in staying here forever, so after quickly formulating a plan, we started walking towards the Treasure Tree. However, after walking for about an hour, we encountered no monsters at all. The Treasure Tree is only a few kilometers away, so should we consider this to be the monsters fleeing in fear of the Demise Species? Of course, we don’t believe there are no monsters, so we haven’t let our guard down with our searches.
After another hour of progress, we emerged into an open space. A large lake stretched out before us, and the Treasure Tree stood grandly on its shore. Is this the deepest part of the Solpreza Mountain Range?
“This is the deepest part of the Solpreza Mountain Range. The lake is larger than I heard, but it’s like a puddle to a Dragoon Demise Species.”
“Since it’s fire attribute, it might be just right.”
“Yes. If it were a water-attribute Dragoon, we might have had to move to a different location. Thinking about it like that, it might be good that it’s fire attribute.”
I concur. Of course, even fire-attribute monsters cannot survive without water, but they are said to weaken if doused with large amounts of water, so they generally avoid getting too close to bodies of water. Conversely, for water-attribute monsters, even though this lake is quite large, it’s only about twenty meters across, making it unsuitable as a habitat for large monsters, though it might suffice for smaller ones.
“Queting, confirmed. It’s a fire-attribute Dragoon Demise Species, and its species name is Surt.”
With Mako’s Queting confirmation, its species name was revealed. Of all things, Surt, the name of a fire giant from Norse mythology. Many Demise Species have names of gods from my world, but I don’t know why. Surt is similar. Didn’t Norse mythology’s Surt burn down the world with the flaming sword he wielded? I’ll investigate that when we get back, but the priority now is to determine if there are any monsters other than Surt and, if so, what their types are.
“Yamato, it’s quite wide, can you check it all?”
“There’s a lake, albeit small, so I should be able to. Please give me a moment.”
I use the wind and water exploration spells I remember to search the area around the Treasure Tree, but it takes time. During this period, I’m focused on operating and confirming the exploration spells, leaving me defenseless. Everyone is aware of this, and more importantly, Surt has noticed our presence, so they are diligently guarding my surroundings. Let’s see… it’s impossible to check the entire lake, but from what I can see with Dolphin Eye, there are only fully aquatic species, and the Mana reaction from Sonar Wave shows no anomalies. The Treasure Tree… I can’t see all of it due to the branches, even with Eagle Eye, but there are no signs of any monsters, large or small, and even Breeze Whisper can’t pick up any relevant sounds. Yes, I can conclude that there are no monsters here other than Surt.
“There are no monsters. I can’t say for sure since I couldn’t check everything, but…”
“Saying ‘absolutely none’ would be detrimental in our current situation. In any case, if there aren’t any, that’s good enough.”
“Yes. Well, we won’t let our guard down, but let’s focus on Surt for now.”
“Alright. Given who it is, only the five Element Class members will approach. The Ancient Class members will guard Mako and attack from a distance with magic.”
“Roger!”
Normally, the Ancient Class would be our main force, but with Surt, a Dragoon Demise Species, being the opponent, the possibility of unforeseen circumstances is quite high. Therefore, it’s better for everyone in the Ancient Class to focus on magical attacks and also protect Mako. It will also aid us in close combat support, potentially distracting Surt’s attacks.
“Alright. Then, let’s go!”
“Understood!”
At my signal, Prim donned her wings of blazing flames, and everyone else enveloped themselves in Wing Burst. Then, the five of us—myself, Prim, Mana, Lydia, and Ludia—headed towards Surt at maximum speed. Surt swung its right foreleg to intercept, but we predicted that attack! As I dodged, I struck with Clau Solas, activated with Mist Solution, inflicting a small cut. For a normal monster, this would be a near-fatal wound, but for Surt, nearly two hundred meters long, it was merely a graze. Due to the effects of Mist Solution, bleeding continued, but its effectiveness was limited.
“Here I come!”
However, Prim’s Seraphim Penetrator struck directly towards that right foreleg. Surt’s foreleg is the size of a large monster, but for Prim, who has evolved into an Element Class, piercing it was not difficult. As expected, Surt’s right foreleg was mangled by Prim’s Seraphim Penetrator, and with Mist Solution, it became difficult to even stop the bleeding.
“I’ll take that leg!”
Mana severed Surt’s right foreleg with Sterling Divider. With its foreleg mangled by Seraphim Penetrator and its bleeding exacerbated by Mist Solution’s inability to stop it, even Surt would lose its concentration.
Furthermore, Ludia struck the left foreleg, which was supporting its body, with Firing Impact. Since Surt is a fire-attribute Dragoon Demise Species, Firing Impact, which is also fire-attribute, would have limited effect. However, the divine dragon magic Aether Burst incorporated into Firing Impact not only enhances the power of Ludia’s native fire attribute but also her physical abilities and Mana. Therefore, even if the fire-attribute magic’s effect is weak, it’s still meaningful to use it due to the increased physical attack power. As the final stage of Firing Impact, a spinning kick landed, and simultaneously, fire magic whose power was accumulated by Aether Chain erupted in a great explosion. Ludia used not only her fists but also the blade of her Flare Grapple, leaving multiple slash marks on Surt’s left foreleg. Ludia seemed to be concentrating her attacks on one of those wounds, accumulating the power of Firing Impact to deal damage to the inside rather than the outside. This requires the ability to slash through Surt’s scales, a feat possible thanks to the Hihishirokane-made Flare Grapple and her evolution into an Element Dragonewt.
Lydia’s Drag Bite Blizzard then bit off Surt’s left foreleg. Lydia, unlike her sister, has an aptitude for ice-attribute magic, which is compatible with the fire-attribute Surt. By targeting the wound inflicted by Ludia’s Firing Impact, she managed to sever and secure it.
Having lost both forelegs almost simultaneously, Surt could no longer support its colossal body. It stumbled forward, then inexplicably used its hind legs to stand up and opened its massive maw towards us. A vast amount of Mana gathered within its mouth, and the overflow of Mana set the surrounding trees ablaze.
“I won’t let you!”
However, Mako deployed her Unique Magic, Field Cosmos, and then overlaid it with Niflheim, extinguishing the fires of the burning trees. Simultaneously, Mako’s trump card, the S-rank spell Meteorite Light Sphere, was activated towards Surt’s mouth, where it was gathering Mana. The Meteorite Light Sphere activated within Surt’s mouth seemed to have its power suppressed; while Surt’s Mana erupted, it didn’t scatter outwards but caused damage only within its mouth. Many of its fangs shattered, and its brain seemed to have been shaken, causing it to lose consciousness momentarily. Seizing this opportunity, the Ancient Class members who were guarding Mako unleashed their respective Unique Magics, piercing Surt’s tough scales and inflicting damage.
“Eos!”
“Understood!”
Mana, riding on the back of Eos who had fully transformed into a dragon, unleashed the new Dragon Resonance Magic, Stardust Grave, towards Surt. This magic, which combines Eos’s Burst Storm Breath with Mana’s wind-attribute magic, Luna’s light-attribute magic, Spica’s earth-attribute magic, and Sirius’s ice-attribute magic, gains substance through Spica and Sirius’s magic and descends from the heavens. The materialized magic formed into colossal spears. Since there were countless them forming like rain, the injured, colossal Surt could not avoid them and took the full impact. As the giant spears collided, they merged into even larger spears. The spears that pierced Surt’s body gradually grew larger, eventually pinning it to the ground.
“This is the finishing blow!”
Then, I hurled Clau Solas, imbued with my Unique Magic, Infinite Saber Execution, towards Surt’s neck from the air. As Infinite Saber Execution enveloped Clau Solas, it grew in size upon being thrown. By the time it struck Surt, it had become a colossal halo of blades, about fifty meters in diameter. Clau Solas, after severing Surt’s neck, vanished and, the next moment, returned to its original size and reappeared in my right hand.
